Page 35 of Demons and Debts
That's fair.
‘Thanks,’ I say softly, but I do mean it this time.
‘Don't mention it,’ he says.
‘But you mentioned it,’ I say with a frown.
It doesn’t look like he heard me as he walks across the pool room away from me, out another door I hadn’t even noticed.
This place is a fucking maze.
I walk through yet another door off the pool and find a gym complete with mirrors everywhere, mats, punching bags, cardio equipment, and some kind of combat circle. This is their space. I can tell that right off as I back out slowly, the stench of sweat hanging in the air making me cringe, but, at the same time, it’s weirdly soothing.
I start from the front door again, right underneath the chandelier and decide to take a look at the next floor. I climb the main stairs. They’re carpeted in red over the marble. I feel so out of place here. Even without my demonic roommates, I’d still feel the need to leave asap.
At the top, there's a mammoth landing and a wide hall that leads to the left and the right. I take the left. I can remember this from last night. There are two wings. Are they called wings? I have no idea, but that’s what I’m going to call them.
At the end of the left wing is Theo’s room where I spent the night, which means that this – I walk past a closed door –thisis Sie’s room.
Just as I pass it, the damned thing opens and, before I know what’s happening, a hand pulls me inside.
* * *
Sie
I slamher up against the wall a little harder than I intended, and she lets out a small cry. Not much more than a whimper really.
My first impulse is to throw her on the bed and fuck her, feed from her now while I can … just because she’s here. But I pull the darkness back, not giving into my desires.
I wonder if she's already getting lulled just by my close proximity, but she doesn't seem like she is. Her head is turned to the side. She isn’t looking at me. She doesn’t need to be for me to get inside her head, but it amuses me that she thinks that makes any difference at all.
‘Get. The. Fuck. Off. Me,’ she says quietly, her voice like steel.
Her body’s shaking, but I only know that because I can feel it. Her fear doesn’t come across in her tone and it’s not on her face.
‘What the fuck are you still doing here?’ I growl, wondering what the fuck Vic is thinking.
She should be gone by now. I’m starting to panic with her in the house. She can't stay here while I can’t do anything with her … unless … maybe she’s under contract.
I pull her away from the wall and look down at her. She doesn’t answer and still won't meet my eyes.
‘Look at me,’ I say and her jaw sets as she slowly lifts her eyes from the floor. They travel up my chest and land on the tattoo that’s poking out of my shirt near my collarbone.
‘My face,’ I say, gripping her tighter.
She winces and slowly lifts her head the remaining inches. The eyes that look up at me are like a doe’s. She’s trying so hard to pretend she isn’t prey.
Cute.
But she is.
‘Have you signed a contract?’ I say like I'm asking her how her day was.
‘No,’ she grinds out. ‘I’m not yours, so get your fucking hands off me.’
Fuck! Her choice of words.You might not be mine yet, little human, but you will be.
I pull her flush against me before I realize what I’m doing. I can’t help it, her body fitting so nicely with mine even though she’s tiny. She goes even more rigid and there's a very specific part of my anatomy that, surprisingly, starts going rigid as well. It’s been so long since it justworked right.
